November 18th, 2008

I completed Day 2, Level 2 today. I’ll tell you what is giving me trouble: the twisty jumping cardio exercise (I don’t remember what it’s called), plank jumping jacks, plank squats, knee raises, and that one ab exercise where you hold the weights above your head. I have yet to make it through any plank exercises without taking breaks. I also went out for a run today. I think I’m ready to move to week 2 for C25K. I still can’t make it through the runs without wanting to die, but I want to change things up a bit.

Haven’t written any good things for a while so here it goes: my legs… OMG my legs look so sick and muscular and tone and skinny (but not toothpick skinny). I love my legs :D. I haven’t worn shorts since… 5 years ago maybe? I’m talking SHORT shorts. Not the kind that goes mid thigh. I grew up in Hawaii so shorts were a must to your wardrobe and I wore them all the time and looked good in them too. And now… it’s so possible for me to wear them in the summer.

November 12th, 2008

Lately, I’ve been searching for new blogs to read and came across a few that I really like. They take pictures of every meal that they eat and it facinates me how much variety they have. I’m getting a lot of new ideas of things to eat. I hate eating the same things over and over.

Today I had a pretty good run. I had side pain during the middle and had to slow down to a walk a few times, but I sprinted in the beginning and end and it felt damn good! I am getting lighter and speedier (is that a word?) by the day. I haven’t ran like this since I was in high school. I also did Day 7, Level 1 on the 30DS. Unfortunately, after I finished the jumping rope exercise, my knee hurt a little. Nothing major though.

Good things: I’m actually looking forward to eating yummy, healthy foods and working out more and more everyday. It’s like there’s a high that comes with it. The guilt that comes with eating “forbidden” foods is slowly but surely subsiding. By letting the guilt go, I’m able to enjoy my food more. I’m seeing it more as fuel = food rather than, “OMG I need to eat this because I’m not going to be able to eat it when I’m on my diet!” or “EH, screw it, I already f*ked up my diet… I might as well go all the way. Go big or go home!” I call it the “I’m starting my new diet on Monday” syndrome.

November 11th, 2008

I woke up this morning and felt extremely dizzy. The room spun really fast and it didn’t even help to close my eyes. I had to put my hands over my eyes to stop the spinning. I didn’t feel better until it was already dark out so I couldn’t get to my 30 minute run :(. Damn you Daylight Savings! Luckily, I got in my 30 DS and it’s still kinda hard. Not to mention I haven’t worked out in 3 days.

Good things: I weighed in before my Vegas trip and was down 2 lbs (164!!!) and when I weighed myself this morning to see how much I gained from the trip, I was 164!!! wooooo hooo. I didn’t gain any weight. The eating slowly thing really helped… not to mention the shopping.

November 10th, 2008

Did lots of bad eating this weekend due to my LV trip. To summarize, frapps galore, greasy Chinese food, and the spirit of aloha menu. I did pretty well I must say :). Bad news though, mother dearest sent me home with a tin of mini chocolate chip shortbread and white chocolate dipped kona coffee cookies from Hawaiian Cookie Company. MY FAVORITE! It’s so hard not to gobble down this entire box that is taunting me at this moment. I’ve had methinks 5 now? Yikes! I think I’ll just have a couple more…. *evil grins*

The thing that surprised me? I’m actually EXCITED to go for my run tomorrow and have a normal healthy meal. I feel icky at the moment after eating so much crap. However, I’m glad that my body got some recovery time in. Three full days of hardly any activity.

Good things: My Mom noticed I lost weight!!! WAHOOOOOO. She said I lost A LOT 😀

November 5th, 2008

After all the excitement from last night’s election, I didn’t get to bed til almost 6 in the morning. Seriously. It’s a good thing I don’t have work or go to school so I got to sleep in. Got up after lunch, did the 30DS and went out for a 30 minute run. I had a very yummy breakfast of yogurt + granola + bananas and one egg + slice of cheddar + whole wheat english muffin. Last night I was hyper and decided to experiment with oatmeal. I learned how to cook Irish Oats (aka Steel Cut Oats)! Soooo goood. The first batch was a fail. I tried to make a pumpkin pie-ish oatmeal, and all I could taste was the damn pumpkin. Gross. I made the second batch much simpler and added just cinnamon, brown sugar, blueberries, and some granola. OMG.. best oatmeal ever! The texture and sweetness was just right. The Irish Oats does take quite a while to cook, about 30 minutes, but it was well worth the wait. I guess I’ll just make a big batch for the week and reheat it.

Good things: The run was so good today. I felt so strong and free. My legs felt so light and I think I’m finding the right stride for me.I’m also slowly but surely getting through the 2nd cardio set in 30DS. It’s still hard, but I’m trying to push it a little at a time.

Not so good things: Ate 4 slices of pizza last night. At least it was homemade and it was a spinach + garlic + mushroom pizza. Plus I ate it with carrot sticks so how bad could it be right?

November 3rd, 2008

Today was the first workout with both Couch to 5K (C25K) and Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred (30DS). 30DS is killer for a 25 minute workout. Srsly. I was sweating up a storm. It was all dripping in my eyes, into my mouth. Gross, but true. I never knew jumping jacks could be such torture. The squats and lunges weren’t so bad. Probably because Debbie Siebers trained me well :). I need to up the weights in some exercises such as the chest fly’s and bicep curls. I didn’t feel any burn at all for those. As for C25K… that was gooood. It was tough, but I felt so energized afterward.

I tried some new foods today. My pre-workout snack was 1/2 a fuji apple and 1/2 a cinnamon roll Larabar. Nomnomnom. It gave me the energy I needed to push myself hard. The Larabar was surprisingly tasty for an energy bar. Plus it only had 6 ingredients (all pronounceable!): dates, walnuts, almonds, raisins, cinnamon, and cashews. After our workout, I had OIKOS blueberry yogurt sprinkled with some Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal, 1/2 whole wheat english muffin w/ a slice of cheddar cheese and 1 egg. Filling and delicious For lunch, I’m having some leftovers I had from last night’s meal at “Whole Paycheck”. lol.

October 31st, 2008

There will be quite a few obstacles I’m going to face in the month of November that have the potential to sabbotage my efforts thus far. I have to be realistic about it and not set myself up for failure. I’m just going to take it as it comes and try to squeeze in a workout anyway I can. The whole “everything in moderation” mantra is not going to cut it either. The mantra is now going to be “eat slowly and savor every bite”. Here are the coming events and potential problems that may come with it.

Halloween Night: I’m going to the Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Studios. We’re probably going to leave pretty early and stay out late so I’m going to have to work out early, which sucks because I like working out at night. I’m just going to have suck it up. There’s also the candy issue. It’s Halloween! How can I NOT have candy? Srsly.

Vegas Trip: I’m meeting my family in Vegas next weekend and they are an unhealthy bunch indeed. It’s going to be buffet, buffet, buffet, restaurant, food courts, midnight snacks, vending machines. Yeeshk. I’m going to counter it by walking, walking, walking. Oh and also shopping 😀

Bay Area Trip: I’m spending Thanksgiving in the Bay and my cousins are binge eaters… srsly. They can eat whole chickens and boxes of cereals and pop tarts in one sitting. I’m not kidding. When I’m with them, we have the best time gossiping and eating. It’s an issue really. Hopefully we’ll burn off some calories walking around San Francisco. Oh and also shopping 😀

Hawaii Trip: Christmas in Hawaii for a whole 3 weeks. That’s going to be DANGEROUS. I grew up there so local food is the one of the things I miss the most. Plate lunches, Matsumotos, Zippys, Candy… AHHH! The list goes on. It’s going to be hard, but hopefully my Mom will cook some good veggie filled Filipino food. I’ll eat a lot of fruit too. I’ll bring along my workout DVDs and try to keep up with my running. Oh and also Christmas shopping 😀

It’s going to be hard until the end of the year. Food, parties, cold weather. All recipes for disaster for someone who is trying to adapt healthier habits.

Good things: My boyfriend told me my form is much much better for my guy push-ups. Woo hoo! I’m ready to take Jillian on. Also, My arms and legs are rock hard. I don’t even have to flex to feel the muscle. My abs are taking shape too, but there’s still a layer of fat over it. That’s the first place I gain so it’s going to be the last place to lose. It’s genetics. My whole family is that way.

October 28th, 2008

I was feeling low again today. In addition to being broke, I got a text giving me some bittersweet news. Bitter for me, Sweet for them. I put off my workout until 10pm tonight. I was even thinking about throwing the towel and just mope around with a pan of brownies in my lap. I thought about it. I ate a small piece of brownie and watched Ai Yori Aoshi (one of my favorite anime). Aoi Sakuraba is the main character in the series and her motto is, “Always do your best.” So I sat there asking myself, “Am I doing my best?” Really, what am I going to accomplish by sitting on my ass right now. So I got up and did my workout and it was the BEST workout I’ve had EVER. It actually felt GOOD. Usually I feel lightheaded and out of breath after 30 minutes. However, this time, I did the whole thing and felt the burn, but I did not feel sick. I felt sooo strong. It’s also the most I’ve ever sweated (Is that a word?) in a single session.

Yes folks, you read that paragraph right. I mentioned the word brownies. My boyfriend and I really felt like baking. You know, mixing, measuring, the whole nine yards. All made from scratch. No store bought goodies here. It is a really decadent, rich, chocolatey brownie. I couldn’t eat the whole thing if I wanted to. I only ate a 2″x2″ morsel and that was enough for me… plus we didn’t have any milk ;p

Good things: I actually have arm muscles again. When I flex, there’s this sexy muscle peeking out from my forearm. I can do 30 man push-ups now. Another thing, when I sleep on my side, it’s comfy again. It’s the little things that count.

October 26th, 2008

Wooo, after my 5lb. gain last week, I was happy to see the number 167 on the scale. Still safely in the 160s. I don’t want to see the 170s ever again. Srsly. I’m also down 1 inch on my waist at the belly button, and down 1.5 inches on my pooch area. I still can’t see a difference in pictures, but my boyfriend assures me my body is changing. I’m really hoping that I can fit into my size 10 jeans by the time I go to Vegas in 2 weeks, or at least by the time I go to the Bay during Thanksgiving. I haven’t worn a size 10 in almost 3 years. I’m going to cry when I can fit into those jeans comfortably again. I can zip them up and button them, but there is major muffin toppage going on. Not a pretty sight.

Weight loss is a slow thing, but I’m not complaining. Slow changes are better. I don’t feel pressured to be perfect every single moment and creating good habits, little by little. I have that “all or nothing” mentality and I need to stop thinking that way.

Good things: I haven’t had an ounce of fast food all week, granted I don’t have money to spend on fast food, but still!

Not so good things: We baked cookies last night. We made 9 and I ate 2. It was really nommy when it came out of the oven, but when I had my second one earlier, they were kinda tough and too chewy. *shrugs*

October 25th, 2008

I’m in desperate need of some fruit in my life. I went grocery shopping today with my remaining forty bucks and bought the cheapest fresh fruit I could find, apples. It’s a good thing they’re in season I wish I had the cash for the Farmer’s Market, then maybe I didn’t have to spend almost $8 on 2 onions and a measly box of mushrooms. Oh woe is me. I also got some canned goods that were on sale: turkey chilli and canned diced tomatoes (I make a mean tomato sauce from scratch). I also picked up some frozen broccoli and shredded part-skim mozarella cheese.

The good thing about being broke? No excuses to spend money on fast food. Muahaha.

More good things: I tried on the outfit I had on that day on the mountain (where I got that slap on the face to change my ways) and it was loose :). Also, my pants are loosely hanging on to my hips. I’m in between sizes right now and I just want to fit into my old jeans, even though they are a size 10.

I haven’t worked out yet, but I like to workout when I have the most energy, and right now I’m dead tired. The boyfriend was excited about getting his coveted LittleBigPlanet game that he dragged me outta bed after a late night. I need some food in me and maybe a power nap before I can tackle those stationary lunges thank you very much. Don’t worry about me though. I’m not going to quit after I put 5 full weeks into this workout. Hell no!